


Mighty Saiyan: The Last of a Race

by SeprithLiCastia



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Battle, Character Death, Gen, Pre-Canon, Rebellion, Rivalry, Saiyans, Vegeta vs Frieza
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 20:32:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18598897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeprithLiCastia/pseuds/SeprithLiCastia
Summary: Nothing matters more to a Saiyan than their pride, something they are all too eager to remind the universe. In the year 759, twenty-two years after the destruction of Planet Vegeta, the last of the Saiyan race rebel against the tyrant that destroyed their world: Frieza.





	Mighty Saiyan: The Last of a Race

**Author's Note:**

> I never thought the day would come, but it did. I actually have a Dragon Ball story idea. Honestly, I just never expected to come up with a story worth telling, but I guess I will leave it up to you all if it is actually worth reading. 
> 
> What if Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa had actually rebelled against Frieza? Long before they ever went to Earth? Sounded interesting to me. Expect some of the movie only characters, too.
> 
> Make sure to comment and leave a Kudos if you liked this. Not sure how I feel about it.

The Saiyans were once a proud warrior race. There was a time when the very name would strike fear into every being in the universe! With power well and truly beyond any other, a Saiyan could destroy entire planets, even entire systems, with but the wave of their hand! They would fight, conqueror, and revel in their power! It was a glorious age of unbridled potential as each true Saiyan sought more and more power and held the very destiny of the universe in the palm of their hands! 

Vegeta scowled at the sight before his eyes, his disdain for the place matched only by his hatred for the reason they were there and the person who had sent them. Standing shorter than most with power as equally beyond most, Vegeta was not only one of the last Saiyans remaining, he was their prince by right of both blood and power. His spiked hair raised high above him, black as space, and conveyed the truth of things, if not the fact: that he, Prince of all Saiyan-kind, was above them. His lean yet well-built body was garbed in form-fitting blue with his pristine battle armor accented by yellow plates, his tail wrapped tightly around his waist. With each step of his white boot against the metal surface beneath him, Vegeta could feel his knuckles wearing into his equally white gloves as his annoyance began to show. 

“Nappa!” growled Vegeta suddenly. “Stop playing around and just finish them off already!” 

In many ways, Nappa contrasted the form of the prince. For one, he stood taller than Vegeta, but he also stood taller than most others, and lacked any hair atop his head. For another, Nappa had wide shoulders and bulging muscles; no doubt possessing the greatest inherent strength of any of the remaining Saiyan even though he was still weaker than the prince. His battle armor was black with yellow plates, his tail wrapped around his waist, and he wore his arms and legs bare. None of that stopped him from slamming his massive fist into the long armed man before him, though, and Nappa smirked as the Shikks face gave a satisfying crunch before dropping to the ground dead. 

“Whatever you say, Vegeta,” said Nappa gruffly. Looking down at what remains of not only the Shikk people’s resistance, but their species, the burly Saiyan warrior raised his hands and spread his fingers wide. “Looks like it’s time to die,” he taunted seconds before a flurry of red energy blasts poured from his palms, their target the terrified Shikk soldiers. In a blinding flash of light they disappeared from view and within seconds they and their entire race were extinct. 

“They died so easy,” complained Nappa. “Makes me wonder if we’ll ever get a real challenge.” 

Scoffing, Vegeta replied, “Not on this pathetic world, especially now that they’re all dead. Speaking of pathetic...” His black eyes drifted over the battlefield to the opposite side of where Nappa had fought, to see another Saiyan standing amidst a pile of corpses. “Raditz! It looked like you were having some trouble there?” Vegeta mocked the other Saiyan, his tone derisive and taunting. 

For his part, Raditz growled as menacingly as he could while wiping a bit of blood from his lip. “I had it under control!” he snapped bitterly. Raditz, unlike the prince and even Nappa, was of no significant Saiyan blood-line or station and was easily the weakest of the three… which made him the weakest of their entire race. Like Nappa, he wore his limbs bare and donned black armor, but his had brown plating. By far the most distinctive trait about the Saiyan, however, was his long mane of hair and the swaying tail behind. 

“Sure ya did, Raditz! Maybe you could use a few more training rounds with my Saibamen!” laughed Nappa loudly, referencing the weak plant-like soldiers he was capable of growing… and Raditz was barely capable of killing. 

“I can kill a Saibaman!” yelled Raditz, his tail flicking angrily behind him. 

“I wouldn’t waste my time, Nappa,” advised the prince. “Or the Saibamen. Raditz is just a low-class warrior; with his power level, I think the Saibamen would be more useful.”

“And I wouldn't want to waste our last few,” he chuckled, patting his hip-armor and the vial containing his prized pets. “With Planet Vegeta destroyed by some rogue meteor, these babies are the last of their kind.” The "like us" went without saying. 

“At least the damned things have actually proven useful in the past,” shrugged Raditz, flexing his shoulder and rubbing at some bruise. Kicking one of the nearby corpses at his feet, he added, “Shame this world couldn’t prove more of a challenge and given you a reason to use them. It would have been nice to destroy a few of your precious Saibamen and prove which of us is stronger.” 

“Regardless,” interrupted Vegeta sternly. “I’d say we’re done here. Shikk and its people are no more.” 

“Genocide always is fun! Hah-ha!” rumbled Nappa, the largest of the three Saiyans laughing deeply. “That was great!” 

“Yes,” agreed Raditz smugly. “But I can’t wait to get to my healing capsule; all this fighting has made me sore.” 

“Then let’s get off this rock,” said Vegeta curtly. 

It was true, the Saiyans were once a proud warrior race roaming from world to world bringing death and despair to all they encountered. Saiyans would cleanse entire worlds of their people and sell their planets to the highest bidders. It was the sort of life they were perfectly suited for; testing their power against others and selling their broken bodies to others. It was the perfect life for any true Saiyan… 

Sending one final glare at the smoldering ruin that was Planet Shikk, Vegeta climbed into his pod as Raditz laughed and Nappa boasted: 

“Can you believe how fast we banged up that planet? I bet _Frieza_ will give us a huge reward!” 

Yes, the Saiyans were once a proud warrior race… but that time was long past now. For years, the once proud race was forced to swallow their pride and accept the rule of another; to accept that they, a warrior-race, were no longer the strongest in the universe. That they would be forced to bend knee to another. It was the ultimate shame! And the name of that shame? 

_Frieza_ … 

* * *

Glaring down at the metal floor beneath him as he knelt, head bowed and his pride suppressed, Prince Vegeta of the Saiyan race spoke the words that had nearly choked him the first time they were spoken: “Greetings, Master Frieza.” Even now that nearly made him wretch! “We have returned from the Planet Shikk. Everything was done as you desired. They pledged loyalty to you after only three short days.” 

The master of all, even the Saiyans, was Lord Frieza; a being so powerful his entire species was only remembered as “Frieza’s Race.” He held countless worlds in one hand and had taken ten times more lives with the other. In stature he was unassuming: even smaller than Vegeta with no apparent muscle, his skin was an effeminate lavender color. He wore the purple armor of his galactic army, the same sort of battle armor the Saiyans and countless others had been forced to wear, and rarely was their ever an expression on his face not either mocking or dismissive. His presence was small, but his power was vast… and even the once proud Saiyans were forced to bend knee to it. 

So Vegeta bowed. Nappa and Raditz were down at his side, the Saiyan prince made little more than a squad leader before the tyrant above them. 

“Hmm?” considered the ruler above them, above the Saiyan race, and Vegeta did not need to look up to know how bored he must look. Bored because Frieza did not expect anything less, because to him all races were already his slaves. They just didn’t know it yet… “Did they really? I’m surprised it took so long.” He released a throaty chuckle, the monster mocking their pride even in victory. 

Nappa looked up, confused and surprised with a question on his lips he dare not ask while Raditz was knelt in shock behind him. They did not understand what the bastard’s game was, but Vegeta did. He had seen it before. Had heard Frieza amused laugher time and time again and was not surprised to hear the amusement of Dodoria and Zarbon, Frieza premier lieutenants, join him. 

Dodoria was little more than a pink blob of fat and violence, the rotund man relishing only the chance to kill and the praise of his master. Zarbon was little better with pale blue skin, braided green hair, and finely made fabrics for his arms and leggings, with a useless tiara adorned in baubles. The two stood as Frieza’s right and left hands, Dodoria in black armor with Zarbon in white. They served Freiza; out of fear or loyalty, it did not matter. 

“Very well, then. You may go away now,” dismissed Frieza shortly. 

“Huh!” gasped Nappa, rising to his feet. “We just crushed an entire race of people in only three days and all you can say is…” 

“Tell me, Zarbon,” interrupted Frieza easily, his red-eyed gaze shifting to meet that of his lieutenant. “How long do you think it would take you to conquer a planet like Shikk?”

“Well,” considered the effeminate looking man. “I imagine one full day would be enough.” 

“Really? A whole day? It is a tiny planet,” asked Frieza, his typical laugh short in coming and the humor of his men joining him. The three laughing loudly at the shame not at a perceived failure, but at the shame of Saiyan race. 

Even the normally timid Raditz rose to his feet in anger, both he and Nappa one order away from attacking the tyrant and his cohorts… But it was an order Vegeta could not give. The Saiyans were once a proud and powerful race, but now they were three and had no chance of defeating even Zarbon or Dodoria, much less Frieza. 

“Is there anything else you’d like to report to me?” asked Frieza, his amusement obvious and his derision clear. “You do understand I have more significant matters to attend to…?” 

Of the three remaining Saiyans, only Nappa could remember a time before Frieza’s reign had reached their world. Perhaps that is why he was the first to act. With a growl of wounded pride and anger, he seethed: “You cocky little…” But as he began to charge the tyrant of the universe, Frieza only smiled and awaited his eventual death. 

“Nappa!” warned Vegeta, the prince rising from the floor for the first time since his arrival. The older Saiyan warrior stopped mid-stride, a look of realization reaching his face as he saw the forms of Dodoria and Zarbon blocking his path. Nappa could move, he knew, but would be dead before he made another step. The pained look of understand must have been what made Frieza laugh even louder than before, his lieutenants joining in the shared humiliation of the now enslaved Saiyan warrior race. 

“Please excuse us… Master Frieza,” gritted out Vegeta, his teeth clenched tightly and his pride momentarily forgotten… Nappa stepped cautiously back, thankful for his life, and Radtiz looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. For once, Vegeta did not begrudge him the feeling. They were all true Saiyans, in blood and deed, but were forced to submit and give up their pride. The proud warriors were now made little more than fighting jesters for Frieza’s amusement! 

The laughter of the three filled their ears and minds, but it was the words of one that stopped Vegeta: “What more can you expect,” queried a smirking Zarbon. “From a monkey?” 

Vegeta stood frozen in place, Nappa and Raditz send him equally warning looks, but he noticed none of that. Every muscle in the Saiyan prince’s body cried out for vengeance, for blood, and the momentary urge had forced him still. The Saiyan “monkey race” was how their warrior people were now remembered. The power of the great ape Oozaru is what had given the fledgling Saiyan race the strength to conqueror their world, defeat the Tuffles, and begin the legacy of the Saiyan race! Vegeta loathed that power and the implied crutch it left his race, but he respected its part in the rise of the Saiyans. 

“It’s not worth it,” hissed Raditz. “Let it go…” 

“Vegeta…” muttered Nappa. 

The prince heard none of that. Turning on his heels, Vegeta met the amused gaze of Frieza, ruler of the universe, and spoke: “Master Frieza…” 

“Yes?” grinned Frieza widely. 

“You said you had something more important to do?” started Vegeta sternly. “Another planet to lay waste to, I presume?” 

Freiza raised one of his faux-eyebrows in interest as a cruel smiling forming on the edge of his lips. “Indeed it is,” he confirmed. “Some pests have impeded my plans of late.” 

“And if you’ve had trouble with it that means these imbeciles have failed to conqueror it!” Vegeta smiled thinly as he watched the twisted amusement on Dodoria’s and Zarbon’s faces turn to anger. 

“You’ve got a lot of nerve trying--“ 

“Be silent, Dodoria,” commanded Frieza, the large man quieting immediately. With the lord of the universe’s attention focused entirely on Vegeta, he pressed: “Go on, Vegeta. What are you proposing?” 

“Give me the assignment!” he almost demanded. “We’ll show you our power! A tiny planet like Shikk? Ha! I could have destroyed that rock when I was a child and conquered it in half a day if the dying screams of the Shikks hadn’t been so amusing.” 

Dodoria and Zarbon looked livid. Nappa and Raditz looked amazed and terrified, respectively. Yet Frieza looked… pleased. A wide smile formed on the galactic emperor’s face as he looked upon the arrogant Saiyan before him. “Confident,” he noted of the prince idly. With a chuckle, he added, “Consider me entertained, Vegeta. You may go—“ But before the prince could enjoy his victory, the tyrant added: “But not alone. Dodoria!” 

“Yes, Lord Frieza!” 

“You’ll be going, too,” grinned the tyrant, his gaze sweeping over the assembled trio of Saiyans. “Take two— No, three others with you.” 

“Seven warriors to conquer one planet?” asked a bewildered Dodoria. “Please, Lord Frieza, I could do it easily myself.” 

“Of course you can,” replied Frieza easily. 

“Then why—?“ 

“He wants a competition, you idiot,” interrupted Vegeta harshly, his hard eyes meeting the glimmering red of Frieza’s own. “The last of the Saiyans against _you_. It’s a game… and all for his entertainment.” 

Dodoria looked ridiculous, his fat lips sputtering about incoherently, but Frieza merely laughed. “You are a quick one, Vegeta… for a monkey, at least,” he mockingly praised. “Shame you’re going to lose.” 

“We’ll see about that!” laughed Vegeta boldly. “I’ll show you the power of the Saiyan race by crushing every obstacle in my way.” 

“Then you will accept the punishment for failure?” 

“You should be asking Dodoria that question,” retorted Vegeta. “I’ve no intention of losing.” 

"L-lord Frieza—“ sputtered Dodoria. He was ignored. 

“Very well, the game is set,” grinned Frieza menacingly. “The first to conquer Planet Tritek wins. The loser…” But Vegeta was already on his way out the door, a nervous Nappa and Raditz following behind him. Frieza frowned. “So anxious to be off, Vegeta?” 

“Like I already said,” called back the Saiyan prince, stopping to look Dodoria evenly in the eyes. “I’ve no intention of losing.” Dodoria looked back murderously, but said nothing. 

“Bold words, Vegeta,” considered Frieza thoughtfully. “But let’s see how far that boldness will get you. I want Tritek conquered in—“ He smiled, apparently pleased with himself, and finished: “Three days or you three truly will be the last of the Saiyans.” 

“What!?” gaped Nappa. A stunned Radtiz sharing in his surprise. 

“Is that all?” asked Vegeta impatiently. Frieza’s smile did not falter as he merely nodded his head, allowing the three Saiyans to leave. Vegeta had walked into the room, head bowed and thoughts placid, but he walked out back straight and his mind plotting. The Saiyan prince was confident in his newly developed plan and the de-facto emperor of the universe could see it. He could see it… and he did not like what it implied. 

“Oh, _Vegeta_ ,” mused the tyrant after they had gone. “It was so fun tormenting you, too. What a shame I’ll have to kill you _when_ you fail.” 

Outside the galactic emperor’s presence, the Saiyan prince Vegeta smiled. “Nappa, Raditz,” he suddenly said, startling the still stunned forms of his cohorts. “Keep your wits about you. If Frieza wants us to play his little _game_ , we’ll play, and by our pride as Saiyan warriors we had better win.” 

* * *

Planet Tritek was a miserable little jungle world situated on the edge of Frieza controlled space. It was not “tiny” by Frieza’s ridiculous standards, but was certainly insignificant enough one or two decent warriors could probably kill every last being on the planet in only a couple days. If there was one thing that might proving annoying, however, it was how easily it would be for the natives to flee into the forests to hide away – the most likely reason Frieza had given the last of the Saiyans the job of hunting them down. There was also the matter of their little “game” to consider. 

All of this and much more occupied Vegeta’s mind as he, Raditz, and Nappa made the roughly six hour trip through space in their pods. 

‘ _I’m going to win,_ ’ the Saiyan prince thought with certainty. ‘ _Just you wait, Frieza! The end of your reign is close at hand._ ’ And as the darkness of space gave way to the bright greens and blues of Tritek’s vegetation, he found his grin came easily. He would show Frieza that the Saiyans were not dead yet! 

* * *

“Three attack pods approaching the planet’s surface, Commander Dodoria,” announced Banan, his lavender colored skin glistening with sweat moments before he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Tossing aside an errant strand of his orange hair, he added, “The monkeys are coming in for a landing now.” 

“Those bastards got there before us!” cursed Dodoria, who cracked his knuckles loudly in aggravation. “If only it hadn’t taken so long to find you idiots, we could have had half the planet leveled by now!” 

“My apologies, commander,” said a placating Cui at his side, knowing that to be a lie. Cui allowed a pleased smirk to cross his purple lips when he added, “But you’ve chosen the perfect team for the job, sir! We’ll claim this planet in Lord Frieza’s name and put those arrogant monkeys in their place.” 

“Right, sir!” chanted Sui, his dark purple skin and tall fin making him barely visible in the shadowed corners of their traveling ship. 

“I had better, Cui,” warned Dodoria, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve seen your little bouts with Vegeta plenty of times. I’m sure, when it comes to things, you’ll want a chance to finish things properly with the little prince, right?” His implied meanings about _finishing_ and _settling_ things were not lost on Banan or Sui, and they were certainly not lost on Cui if the vicious looking smile he now wore was any indication. 

“Rest easy,” replied Cui happily. “If I have anything to say about it, Vegeta won’t be alive to feel any regret for the kind of enemies he’s made here today.” 

* * *

“I already hate this planet,” muttered Raditz moments after exiting his pod and moments later his hand raised to swat at a particularly annoying bug fluttering about his hair. “All these little pests flapping about…” 

Pulling himself out of his own pod, Nappa was not far behind in voicing his agreement: “It definitely stinks, that’s for sure.” 

“Try not to forget why we’re here,” snapped Vegeta, his eyes already fixed on primitive looking city up-ahead. “If we don’t want Dodoria and his goons to get ahead of us, we had better hurry.” 

“But he’s not even here yet,” griped Raditz seconds before a loud boom echoed across the entire planet. Surprised, Nappa and Raditz looked to the sky only to see the familiar image of a Frieza styled saucer-ship come sweeping down from the sky – the vessel no doubt containing Dodoria and whatever men he had chosen for this assignment. “B-but how did he catch up to us so quickly?” 

“Does it matter?” asked Vegeta rhetorically. “Let’s just get moving already.” Without another word, the prince was cloaked in a blue array of energy seconds before h kicked himself of the ground and speed up into the sky and towards the nearby city. 

“Doesn’t this all seem strange to you?” asked Raditz. “Vegeta’s not usually so…” 

“Determined?” finished Nappa in an unnaturally serious tone. “Yeah, it does.” Without elaborating, the larger Saiyan cloaked himself in a bright red swirl of energy before rushing off to follow the prince. 

Scoffing at the gruff man’s none-answer, Raditz moved to follow them, his own magenta-colored aura flaring about him. Tritek’s clear rivers and blue-tipped trees zipped pass the three Saiyans in a blinding flurry of movement and though it may have taken them only moments to catch up with the apparently “determined” prince, Raditz failed to understand to need to rush. If they were just going to kill everything on the planet, why not just turn the whole forest and city into ash from a distance? Why make this so personal? 

‘ _Sometimes I just don’t understand these two, especially Vegeta,_ ’ he lamented, but kept his pace all the same. 

It did not take the three Saiyans long to arrive with Vegeta, unsurprisingly, being the first to touch down in the middle of the city, Nappa and Raditz only a few moments behind. The vibrant display of had apparently caught the attention of the natives because a large crowd was already forming, many more pouring out of the crude metal structures they called homes. As they began to form a ring around the Saiyans, Raditz got his first look at the local Tritekians: they looked insectoid and the rising cacophony of chirping and clicking sounds proved it. Stood hunched over at roughly the average height of a Saiyan, maybe a little shorter, with a green carapace-like outer shell that no doubt protected they vital and more squishy bits. Raditz smirked, anxious to test how well that “protection” stood against his signature Double Sunday blasts. 

Vegeta surveyed the assembled mass in a glance, but did not seem impressed. “Raditz,” he said suddenly. “What does the scouter say?” 

After all the rush getting here, he wanted to waste time checking their power levels? Whatever. Reaching up, Raditz tapped the small device attached to his ear and instantly a stream of text poured across the green visor over his left eye. “Let’s see here,” considered Radtiz looking over the crowd. After a few moments, he laughed harshly: “What? Just five-hundred? Pathetic! I expected more than that from a planet Frieza had his eyes on.” 

“Isn’t that still a third of your power, Raditz?” reminded Nappa, a deep chuckle escaping him. Raditz grit his teeth and glared, but did not deny it. 

“Forget that!” ordered Vegeta, pulling attention back to him. “Nappa! Destroy this place.” 

“Right away, boss!” grinned Nappa. Without delay the Saiyan raised his hand into the air, pointed and fore and middle finger towards the sky, and smiled. In a blinding flash of light, the world around them disappeared and was quickly replaced with the no doubt horrified trills of the Tritekians and the unmistakable sound of the land giving way to Nappa’s shock-wave of power. In mere seconds, what had once been a moderately sized Tritekian settlement was nothing more than a barren patch of dirt. The surrounding forest was similarly ravaged and much of the land beyond that appeared equally destroyed… 

But Radtiz cared very little for that right now. Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, Raditz coughed roughly once before turning to the burly Saiyan. “Nappa, you oaf!” he yelled. “How many times have I told you to warn me when you’re about to do that!?” The larger man only shrugged in disinterest. Raditz growled, flicking his long mane of hair and ignoring the occasional bit of rubble that fell, before addressing the prince: “Why vaporize the whole city, anyway?” 

Rather than answer, Vegeta scoffed as he crossed his arms and stared out of the destruction before him. “No surprise you don’t see it Raditz,” he said instead. 

“Don’t get?” he echoed confused. “What don’t I get!?” 

“I think I get it,” said Nappa, honestly surprising both his cohorts. “I’ve been thinking about this since our meeting with Frieza… No, since the day Planet Vegeta was destroyed.” 

“What does this mess have to do with our home-planet!?” demanded Raditz, his arm thrown at his side to indicate the wasteland surrounding them. “Huh, Nappa!?” 

“You are just a low-class warrior, Raditz, so I’m not surprised you didn’t realize it,” began Nappa pensively. “But I’ve been paying attention. There’s been talk, you see… Frieza said Planet Vegeta was destroyed by some stray meteorite, but there’s been talk…” 

“Rumors, Nappa?” hissed Raditz dismissively. “You’re wasting our time with rumors?” 

“They say Frieza blew up our planet!” he snapped, his large hands taking hold of the younger Seiyan by his armor and lifting him up. “That he killed our king and destroyed our world!” 

Struggling to free himself, Raditz could only ask, “W-why?” 

Snarling, Nappa dropped him roughly on the ground before turning to the unnaturally still prince. “Vegeta, you have to listen to me!” pleaded Nappa. “It was Frieza who ordered it all! To have your father killed! And to blow up our home planet!” There was no mistaking the rage in his words, just as there was no mistaking the pain in them either… Raditz had been young when their home world was destroyed, same as the prince, but he could still remember what it was like. Saiyans were not a people of feel-good idiots, but they did have their pride… and what is the greatest pride of a planet conquering race if not their own world? 

Vegeta, the prince of their race, stood in silence with his head bowed and, although they could not see it, his eyes closed tight. Glancing over his shoulder, he at last said: “I already knew that, Nappa…” 

His admission earned him a gasp from Raditz and... “What! You knew?” exclaimed Nappa. “How could you obey Frieza when you know what he’s done to us?” It was not a challenge in words, which was clear, but the older Saiyan’s tone spoke of treason and Raditz was quick to move away from him for fear of the prince’s retribution. Whatever Nappa might be thinking, they all knew Vegeta was the strongest among them. 

“So he killed my father, destroyed my people… It means nothing to me now…” The prince spoke with a tone of finality that brokered no argument, but between Raditz’s shocked gaze and Nappa rising tempter it certainly invited one. Thankfully, he provided one regardless: “Strength is the only thing that matters is this world… Everything else is just a delusion for the weak.” The two Saiyans stood still, or at least they tried to. Raditz could feel his fingers trembling, either from fear or… something he did not know. By the look of him, Nappa seemed much the same. 

“There’s only one certainty in life: a strong man stands above and conquers all!” Vegeta spoke through gritted teeth, his fist clenched at his side, and his energy surrounding him in a violent wind. “I know how strong Frieza is… there’s no way I can beat him now.” The admission clearly pained him, as it did any Saiyan to confess their weaknesses, but he made a vow: “But wait and see! As the last of Saiyans we have flowing in our veins the blood of a warrior race! The more we fight, the more powerful we become!” 

For the first time since they had arrived on Triket, the prince of all Saiyan turned to face the only subjects that title granted… and Raditz trembled at what he saw. The rage burning in his eyes, the determination they screamed, and the promise they held! “I will get stronger and stronger,” promised Vegeta, to them and to himself. “And one day I will be strong enough to beat Frieza, to avenge our pride! Then I will rule the universe!” With a sigh of bliss, as if he we re-imagining the very idea, the prince was the happiest Raditz had ever seen him when he breathed: “Exactly as I was meant to…” 

They stood frozen, the bodies captivated either by fear or genuine belief and even Raditz could not tell which and he had no idea what he was expected to do… But Nappa felt no such hesitation, the hulking Saiyan dropped down on both his knees. “And you will…” he said evenly, no sense of doubt in his words. 

Raditz did not know if he was as sure, but he nodded all the same. “If any of us could, it would be you, Prince Vegeta,” he decided on. 

Vegeta scowled, the expression a stark contrast with the peaceful look he had, and glared at them both. “Enough boot-licking…” he snapped at them, causing Nappa to rise quickly. “There’s still much for us to do here!” 

“R-right!” stuttered Raditz, his nerves catching up with him. “We still have to clear this planet of life and win Frieza’s little game.” 

“You still don’t get it?” asked the prince, Raditz thinking for the first time how the word seemed like a real title. “We're not playing Frieza's game anymore. We’re going to play _mine_!” 

“What?” he blinked. “But you just said you weren’t strong enough to beat Frieza!” 

“We are a warrior race!” he reminded them. “With each new and more powerful opponent, our strength is pushed to its limits! Every time we reach death’s door only to slam it shut we attain even more power! Do you expect us to face such a challenge working for Frieza?” 

“Well, uh…” 

“Of course not!” finished Vegeta angrily. “These Tritekians! A measly power level of five-hundred! The Shikks? Even weaker at two-hundred!” The smoldering rage of before had now become boiling, his hard eyes shifting from Raditz to Nappa and back. “Frieza stands far above that level! How many pitiful worlds must we eradicate to reach that plateau? Hundreds? Thousands!? How long must we fight? A year? Two? Three?” He scoffed, apparently finding the idea ridiculous. “It will never be enough and we’ll die Frieza’s slaves on some back-water world! But I won’t!” 

“W-what do we do then?” asked Raditz, his voice shaking. “We can’t beat Frieza!” 

“But we can kill his men,” smirked Vegeta arrogantly. “All the strongest fighters in the universe call Frieza their lord and master! We can fight our way up, battle by battle, until I obtain the power I need to beat Frieza!” 

“Are you insane?” demanded Raditz. “You want to rebel now? Here? Dodoria is just over there!” He gestured vaguely towards the ruined forest behind them. “I can’t beat him! Even you can’t!” 

“But I won’t be facing him, will I?” 

“What?” Without prompting, Raditz’s scouter came alive with a series of peeps and wails. Whirling around to face the direction of the energy signatures, Raditz read them frantically: “Two… No, three power levels detected! All far above five-hundred and coming from Dodoria’s ship!” 

“But not Dodoria?” Vegeta was smiling now; not the sort he would use when he was happy or when he was boasting. No, Vegeta smiled because he was right. “That imbecile won’t dirty his own hands unless he has to. He’s scarred of us! Of our Saiyan power!” 

“But these readings!” insisted Raditz. “One of them is even stronger than you!” 

Scoffing at the thought, Vegeta activated his own scouter, the red lens above his eye coming to life. Far from being intimidated, the Saiyan prince laughed: “Ha! Cui! They brought him? I can kill him easily.” 

His frustration boiling over, Raditz yelled, “Are you trying to get us killed? Do you want every last Saiyan to di---“ But he was silenced. Vegeta’s open palm was pointed evenly at his face and the low-class warrior knew what the prince was suggesting. “You plan on killing me?” 

Vegeta smiled, this time cruelly. “I’ve no use for a Saiyan who not only won’t fight, but is a coward,” he declared. “Where is your pride? Where is your call for battle? Your lust for violence and your hope for a challenge?” 

“Never question my blood! I am a Saiyan, same as you!” Raditz met Vegeta cold eyes evenly, but his words came as hisses: “But I know when to use my head! You want us to kill Dodoria and fight our way off this planet? Take our pods and hop world from world hunting down Frieza's soldiers? Huh!? That’s suicide!” 

“So simple minded,” mocked the prince, his hand not moving in the slightest. “You truly are a low-class warrior. I intend to crush anyone who gets in my way; be it Frieza or you! I’ll smash Cui and whoever else is on that ship! Dodoria’s day will come, whether it be this one or the next. It will came! Same for Zarbon! Same for Frieza! And…” A swirling ball of yellow energy began to coalesce in his extended hand: “The same for you, Raditz!” 

As the beam began to form, heralding his death, Raditz knew he had a choice to make. Refuse the prince’s insane plan and die right now, or accept and maybe down an hour from now… It was no real choice at all. Throwing his hands up, Raditz pleaded: “I give, Vegeta! I’ll join you!” 

“Good answer,” said the prince, the energy ball disappearing with a wave of his hand. Turning to the as of yet silent third member of their group, Vegeta said only: “Nappa…” Whether it was a statement, a demand, or a question, Raditz did not know, but the larger Seiyan seemed to. 

“Frieza destroyed our world,” repeated Nappa. “And I don’t intend to let him get away with that! I’m done living my life a slave to him! I’m with you, Vegeta!” 

“Then get ready,” smirked Vegeta, turning once more in the direction of Dodoria’s ship and the approaching power levels. “We’ve got company.” 

* * *

  _Saiyan… An extinct warrior race of conquerors… Once thought beaten and made a slave, they now make their stand on the planet Tritek._

_What does the future hold for this once proud race?_

_Will they avenge their world? Or simply be another forgotten tale is the history of Frieza’s accomplishments?_

_Find out next time!_

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you all enjoyed that. If anything seems familiar, it was probably adapted from the show. Vegeta’s speech near the end is tweaked from a canon one in the show (EP#104, Frieza Defeated), but most of it is taking liberties with the vagueness inherent in pre-Saiyan Saga time-line. 
> 
> \- Power Levels: Year 359 on Planet Tritek, Update One.  
> Saiyan: Vegeta: 16,000 – Nappa: 3,800 – Raditz: 1,400  
> Frieza Force: Frieza: 530,000 – Dodoria: 22,000 – Cui: 17,000 – Banan & Sui: 1,500  
> Other: Shikks Natives (normal) 200 - Tritek Natives (normal): 500


End file.
